An innovative community partnership between Medibank and the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation will see thousands more children and their families gain access to pleasurable food education across the country.

Under the partnership, Medibank will help build the future health of the next generation and help combat the growth of childhood obesity, enabling more Australian children to experience, learn and adopt lifelong healthy eating and living habits.

Medibank Managing Director and CEO, George Savvides said, “Medibank’s long term commitment and investment in the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation’s school program is a tangible example of our aspiration for #GenBetter - a future generation of healthy Australians.”

“Childhood obesity is widely acknowledged as one of the most significant global health challenges of our time and we believe that Medibank has a vested interest in working towards a better health future for all Australians.

“We are proud to announce the continuation of our partnership with the Foundation and are determined to make a real and meaningful contribution towards safeguarding the health of the next generation of young Australians through pleasurable food education,” said Mr Savvides.

Ange Barry, CEO of the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation said, “This new commitment means hundreds of thousands of children, from early years through to adolescence, can be supported to adopt health and wellbeing behaviours that will feed them throughout their whole lives.”

The partnership builds on the relationship that has grown between the two organisations since 2012 when Medibank supported the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program to expand beyond the 200 Australian primary schools who were then participating.

Medibank’s investment has contributed to the rapid expansion of the Kitchen Garden Program over the last three years, with now more than 10% of all Australian schools with a primary curriculum participating, in all states and territories.

The continuation of the partnership will take the commitment to a new level.

Ms Barry says: “It takes unique, collaborative, dynamic partnerships like these to see real change in communities. The Kitchen Garden Foundation is proud to share our experience and expertise with a vibrant, innovative and community-minded company like Medibank.

“Medibank’s continued investment will allow the Kitchen Garden Foundation to share our knowledge of pleasurable food education with a much wider audience, allowing all kindergartens and childcare centres, primary and secondary schools to deliver a really effective, curriculum-based kitchen garden program.”

Celebrating the new partnership alongside Medibank and the Foundation, Victorian Parliamentary Secretary for Health, Mary-Anne Thomas MP said, “It’s through innovative initiatives like this that healthy eating becomes fun and enjoyable for kids, and it’s so important that we start healthy eating habits early.